Why is Turmeric Good For Weight Loss?

When I say weight loss, it automatically means fat burn. These two things go hand in hand pretty much. With all the benefits that are listed above, of Turmeric, one major thing is it helps in weight reduction remarkably.While talking about the health benefits, I described how curcumin helps the liver to enhance the process of detoxification. Detoxification is essential for fat burning.

Cholesterol is another thing that can cause obesity. Curcumin helps the disposal of LDL that is low-density lipoprotein or bad cholesterol, from the blood. It protects the heart and blood vessels from getting damaged in addition to preventing obesity.Adipose tissues that store fat, also require providing the fat cells, some nutrients to grow. So the process of angiogenesis is required. Adipocytes grow similar to the cancer cells. Curcumin inhibits the cell growth as it has anti – angiogenic properties and reduce fat cell mass.

In addition to lowering the blood cholesterol and liver fat levels, it also lowers the level of trip glycerides and glucose in the blood. One reason for obesity is also indigestion. Turmeric helps in proper digestion of the food.

Turmeric increases the energy in the body and makes it all the more active. It is done by facilitating the production of new mitochondria. This will result in more production of energy and more fat burn. Oxidation of fat leads to less deposition and formation of fat cells in the body.

With age, the body suffers from decreased mitochondrial production and thus, less energy in the body. It reduces the activity in the body and makes you gain fat. More energy can keep your body active and regardless of age, you can feel energetic and full of life.

Turmeric also increases the activity AMP – activated protein kinase (AMPK). AMPK activity is something of a cellular metabolic master switch, which improves metabolic homeostasis. It is often out of balance in overweight and obese people.

Turmeric helps and increases the ability of programmed cell death in unhealthy fat cells. It is also a fact that is something which scientists are still researching on.Now that you know all the possible mechanisms of fat loss with turmeric, you might be wondering how can you incorporate turmeric into your daily diet, isn’t it?

I will give you some tips on including this medicinal herb in your diet regularly. First, let me help you with how to prepare turmeric for cooking.

How to Prepare Turmeric?​

Turmeric is very much like ginger in appearance. Also, it is a rhizome from the same family as ginger. So, the preparations of turmeric are pretty much the same as ginger.

1. ​Peeling

You can peel turmeric with the help of a spoon or with a peeler as well. The skin of turmeric is soft and so, won’t require much of an effort.

While selecting to buy turmeric, look for the pieces that are with no or minimum bumps. It will cut short your efforts.

2. Slicing and Chopping​

Many people use turmeric to prepare pickles. So, it depends on what you want to prepare out of your turmeric. If you are slicing this to use in your stir fried vegetables, then better is to slice it and then chop.

If it comes in the mouth while eating, you will not like the fibrous and slightly bitter taste of it. So make sure you chop it into very small pieces.

3. Grating​

After peeling, you can take a cheese grater and grate it. You can use it to garnish and flavor your food like salads. It will give you a great aroma as well.Also, grated turmeric is perfect to make turmeric tea.

4. Drying and Powdering​

In India especially, dried and powdered turmeric is used extensively. It is a staple food for Indians and also South East Asians at large. It is used in curries, soups, etc.

You can dry the turmeric roots and then make their powder. This can be stored and kept for a longer time as compared to turmeric roots. Keep the powder in cool and dry place. Avoid any moisture so that it does not get spoilt.

​What are the Best Turmeric Recipes?

It is very much recommended to use turmeric daily in your diet. It provides with million dollar health benefits, and you don’t even need to consume a lot of it. So, here are a few tips on how to incorporate turmeric into your daily diet.

1. Turmeric and Honey with Water​

Now, this is something that I have daily morning first thing after I wake up! When you consume a pinch of turmeric mixed with a teaspoon of honey and 3/4 glass of lukewarm water daily, it will boost your immunity and also help in weight reduction.

Just mix a pinch of turmeric powder in honey and stir this in lukewarm water. Have it daily in the morning, preferably empty stomach.

2. Turmeric and Ginger Tea​

Best thing to avoid the flu and stay immune is this tea.

Ingredients​

1 cup water

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

honey to taste

Milk

Procedure

Bring the water to boil

Now reduce the heat and add turmeric and ginger

Let it simmer for 10 minutes

Add Milk and stir

Strain the mixture and add honey to taste

3. Fragrant Yellow Rice

One very interesting recipe that you can try and treat your taste buds is turmeric rice. Have a look at the preparations and ingredients:

Ingredients​

3/4 cup rice (increase or decrease according to your preference)

1 cup water (increase or decrease according to your preference)

1 bay leaf

2 pieces of cinnamon stick

3 cloves

1/2 teaspoon Salt (according to taste)

1 tablespoon butter or olive oil

Procedure

Rinse the rice thoroughly

In a pan, add one tablespoon butter or olive oil

When it heats, add 1 bay leaf, 2 pieces of cinnamon stick and cloves

Let it fry on low heat for 2 minutes

You will get the aroma of these spices

Then add 1 cup water, turmeric, and 3/4 cup rice

Bring to a boil then let it simmer on low flame for about 10 minutes

Put the flame off and cover it with a lid for 10 minutes

Uncover and remove the bay leaf and cinnamon stick

You can add and reduce the water according to the rice you are using.

4. Turmeric Milk

Another thing that you can have daily is turmeric milk. Especially if you are suffering from a cold or you have a body pain, this will relieve you.

To prepare this milk, just take milk and add a pinch of turmeric powder to it. Let it boil. Cool it down to lukewarm and have. If you experience acidity with warm milk, do not try this.

5. Salads​

You can sprinkle turmeric powder to your salad preparations. Else, you can also grate the turmeric root and garnish your salads to have it daily.

6. Curries and Stir Fries​

You can prepare curries with turmeric. It just requires a pinch of turmeric to impart an attractive yellow color to your food and give you many health benefits.

You can also stir turmeric powder to your vegetables.

Apart from these, you can have this healthy powder added to your smoothies. It will prove to be very healthy for you and also tasty.​

Daily Recommended Dosage of Turmeric

​Daily recommended dose of Turmeric extract is anywhere between 200 mg to 1 gram. Divide the dose into two and make sure you consume the value collectively.

Recommended dose of turmeric is little higher for people who are suffering from cholesterol. It is 1 to 1.4 grams of turmeric daily, divided into two doses for three months.

For people having arthritis, 500 mg of turmeric powder or extract is recommended. Consume it in a division of 4 doses daily for 4 – 6 weeks.

However, I strongly recommend you to consult your physician before trying out any of these doses. It might work for some and might not for others.​

What Are the Side Effects of Turmeric?

​Turmeric, in general, is very safe to use. However, it might have certain reactions or side effects to some people. Refer to the list below:

Upset stomach

Diarrhoea

Dizziness

Nausea

Special Precautions

Pregnancy – If you are pregnant, consuming turmeric in heavy doses can lead to complications. Turmeric can heat up the body when taken in larger concentrations. So, during pregnancy, it can induce bleeding.

Gall Bladder – If you are suffering from gallstones or bile duct obstruction, do not take turmeric. It can make your problem worse.

Diabetes – For people with diabetes, it is very important to know that turmeric reduces the blood sugar level. Take precautions while consuming turmeric as it might lower your blood sugar level a little too much.

Acid Reflux – If you are suffering from acid reflux or related problems, stay away from turmeric. It will make your stomach worse by further complicating the acid reflux problem.

Infertility – When ingested from the mouth, turmeric might lower your testosterone. It will lead to decreased sperm movement and reduced fertility. If you are planning to have a baby, consume turmeric cautiously.

​When turmeric is taken up with food, it is rather safe. It does not show many side effects and gets digested easily. Only when you are planning to consume turmeric extract or powder raw, without anything, that is when you need to be careful.

Having listed out all the possible side effects of turmeric, I have come to a conclusion that turmeric is no less than a magical food. It is always advisable to consume anything with your physician’s approval if you are suffering from some serious disease or health disorder.

Conclusion – Is Turmeric Good For You?

Turmeric is very beneficial. Consume it daily in minimal quantities and improve your immunity. It sure has some very strong anti – inflammatory properties to protect you from day to day illnesses.

Hope this article helps you improve your health and lifestyle. Making a little effort for your health every day will surely count.

So, if you like this article, please share it with your friends as well! I will also love to receive your thoughts and queries on this. You can mention them in the comments below.​